Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to methods of removing single ring aromatic hydrocarbons, such as para-xylene, from a hydrocarbon contaminated fluid. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method of removing single ring aromatic hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon contaminated fluid using carbon nanotubes to adsorb the single ring aromatic hydrocarbons together with UV irradiation, preferably from a UV light emitting diode (LED), to oxidize and degrade the single ring aromatic hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon contaminated fluid and adsorbed on the carbon nanotubes.
Description of the Related Art
The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
Single ring aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the three isomers of xylene i.e. para-xylene, meta-xylene, and ortho-xylene, or BTEX, are petroleum hydrocarbons. For example, BTEX constitutes about 18 wt % of total hydrocarbons in gasoline. Compared with aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, including single ring aromatic hydrocarbons, are more toxic. For example, inhaling para-xylene can cause dizziness, headache, drowsiness, and nausea. Long term exposure to para-xylene can cause developmental defects and damage the central nervous and reproductive systems. Thus, single ring aromatic hydrocarbons pose a serious health risk to humans when they enter into soil and groundwater due to, for example, leaking oil tanks, blowouts, and improper discharge of petroleum hydrocarbons and untreated waste water from the petro-chemical industry. Conventional methods for removing single ring aromatic hydrocarbons include coagulation and flocculation, however, they are often ineffective.
It is thus an object of the present disclosure to provide a simple, and yet efficient and effective method for removing single ring aromatic hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon contaminated fluid, such as a para-xylene containing aqueous solution, using a combination of adsorption with carbon nanotubes and UV irradiation.